>> charlie: welcome to our program. in washington today the battle over raising the debt ceiling became more acrimonious. first from the speaker of the house, john boehner. >> i would call this plan less an perfect but it doesn't ensure the spending cuts will be greater than the hike and secondly there are no tax increases that are part of the plan. it's not cut cap and balance but it is built on the principles of cut, cap and balance to pass the united states senate as well as the united states house. time's running short. i'm urging my house colleagues

toupport it and my senate colleagues to support it as well. >> charlie: then the president went on the air this evening to address the nation and talk about the incalculatable dama if an agreement isn't reached. >> basally the debate has centered around two different approaches. the first approach says let's live within our means by making serious historic cuts in government spending. let's cut domestic spending to the lowest level it's been since dwight eisenhower was president. let's cut defense spending at the pentagon by hundreds of billions of dollars. let's cut out waste and fraud in health care programs like medicare and make adjustments so medicare is still there for future generations. finally, let's ask the wealthiest americans and biggest corporations to give up some of their breaks in the tax code and special deductions. this balanced approach asks

everyone to give a little without requiring anyone to sacrifice too much. it would reduce the deficit by around $4 trillion and put us on a pass to pay downur debt and the cuts would be the be s abruy from helping businesses and families get back on their feet naep approach is also birtisan. while ma aren't hpy with the cuts enough are willing to accept them this the burden is fairly shared. while the republicans would like to see deeper cuts and no revenue there are many in the senate that said yes, i'm willing to put politics aside and continue the approach because because i care about the problem and to his credit this is kind of approach the speaker of the house, john boehner was working on with me over the last

several weeks. the debate isn't about making tough choices. democrat and republicans agree on the amount of deficit reduction we need. the debate is about how it should be done. most americans, regardless of political party don't understand how we can ask a senior citizen to pay more for her medicare before we ask a corporate je owner or the oil companies to give up tax breaks other companies don't get. how can we ask a student t pay more for college before ask hedge fund managers to stop playing taxes at a lower rate then they're secretaries. how can we slash funding for education and clean energy before we ask people like me to give up tax breaks we don't need and didn't ask for pop. that's not right. that's not fair. we all want aot that lives within its means but therere still things we need to pay for as a country. things like new roads and bridges, weather satelte and od inspection.

services to veterans and medical research. so defaulting on our obligations is a reckless and irsponsible outcome to the debate and republicans leader agree we must avoid default. but the new approach that speaker boehner unveiled today which would temporarily extend the debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts would force us to once again face the threat of default just six months from now. in other words, it doesn't solve the problem. but do you know what people are fed up with most of all? they're fed up with the town where compromise has become a dirty word. they work all day long, many of them scraping by just to put food on the table and when these americans come home at night bone tired and turn on the news all they see is the partisan three-ringed circus in washington and leaders that can't seem to come together and

due what it takes to make lif just a little better for ordinary americans. they're offended by that and they should be. the americ people may have voted for divided government but they didn't vote for a dysfunctional government. >> charlie: and there was more. >> the united states cannot default on its debt obligations. the jobs and savings of too many americans are at stake. we told the president in january was this, the american people will not accept an increase without reforms. it's not about president obama and republicans or congress and the white house. it's what's standing between the american people and the future we seek for ourselves and our families. i've always bref believed the b the government the smaller the people and we have a government so big it's sapping the drive out of people and keeping the

government fromming from full capacity. the solution is not complicated. if you're spending more than your taking in you need to spe less of. there's no symptom more menacing than our debt and we begin to liberate our economy and our future. charlie: we'll are have much more on the story tomorrow from new york and washington. also this evening phil mickelson. the great golfer stops to talk about higame and passions. >> i play my best when i'm challenged. the more challenging the shot the better i pull it off so i have to challenge myself. i can't hit a seven-iron lay-up shot if i can reach it way hybrid or three-wood i have to challenge myse. >> charlie: we conclud the evening with steve carell and the new film "crazy, stupid love." >> when people try to be funny

it doesn't necessarily work that way you play it honestly and it evolves by that and by the same token if an actor is known for comedic work goes to do a drama you don't have to walk around with a frown on your face because you're on a drama. people don't know in life -- they don't know whether their life is a comedy or drama. >> charlie: the battle in washington and the golf of phil mickelson and the acting of steve carell when we continue. funding was provide by the following:

captioning sponsored by rose communications from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. >> charlie: phil mickelson is here. he has won four grand slam

events the masters and pga once and still looking for his first british open. he has won 39 times on the pga tour and beyond golf he has a passion to instill achievement in the classroom. he and his wife amy instilled the mobile one teachers academy to improve childhood learning in math and science. i'mpleased to have phil mickelson at t table for the first time. >>hank you, charlie. we talked about this for years since we first talked about it. >> charlie: m doing the conference and sitting up and you're there and you and y are there and she had a head on her shoulder and i said these people have been married for a while but they look like teenagers. >> she's a special lady and has made life enjoyable for me.

>> i couldn't believe how much you knew about so many topics so for me to come here is intimidating. i want you to know that. >> charlie: thank you. let's talk about the notion that we need high achievement in math and science if we can compete in the best sense of the world internationay. >> you're right and reelly it will be a long-term solution. it's a plan we're trying to implement the last six, seven years to try to solve a 15, 20 year problem and most recently ranked 48th amongst coutries in math and science and that needs to ange. >> charlie: what do you do at the academ >> we need to inspire our kid in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades where they wair or a inspired. we're trying to give our third, fourth, and fifth-grade teachers the tools to inspire kids in the math and science fields.

we want them to learn by asking questions to learn by doing oppose to learn big textbook. a lot of the teachers have not been given or acquired accreditations. 97% don't and have to teach a wide variety of subjects and not as confident. >> charlie: are your kids interested in math and science. >> they love it and part of that is mom and dad and they're favoriteubjects are math and science. when we travel my wife amy takes them to museums throughout the country and world and they get to see different parts of the world and great assets of each city and ask questions. they ask about space. that's my fascination. >> charlie: she said he's an astronaut in a golfesody. >> that' a fair assessment. i've finally run out of things to talk about ieel like they have a good knowledge base. >> charlie: this is a combination of exxon-mobilehe

company. what's the relationship there. >> we formed a partnership in 2005. i could never do this without a company like exxon mobile. there's no bigger company tt gives back than exxonmobile. they give back and their foundation gives hundreds o millions every year and hire 14,000 scientist and engineers so this a perfectit for us to try to solve our achieve this goal that very long term. >> charlie: let's talk about golf as well. the british open. this is a friend of mine said please ask him about a three-foot putt so i'm asking you about a three-foot putt. >> i missed on 11 which i think ultimately cost me the tournament and derailed me and got me out of the mental focus i had.

i get my mind slip and started focus go ahead. >> charlie: what darren clarke might do. >> i started thinking about the 12th hole. i'm on 11 and the next shot and how to birdie the next hole and other things than making this putt were going through my mind and that's something i have to work on. i have to work on my focus. missing a three-foot putt is a mental focus. >> charlie: you call it a brain freeze. >> yeah. >> charlie: what ha happene at e round. >> i've had a few breaks throughs in links golf is one is getting a shot that doesn the wind so a drive that doesn't even have an apex to its flight and gets rolling on the ground quick and i've been able to get

the ball in play better than i've ever had and didn't have a big miss. i didn't have a big miss the whole tournament because i was table to keep it on the ground and will help my links play in the future but almost got me to victory this year. >> charlie: when you're in a groove does the hole look this big when you're putting. what happens? >> it becomes more reactionry like throwing a ball. you just throw a ball. when i'm playing like that i just see the target and swing and the ball goes where i want and when i'm putting the ball goes in the hole. >> charlie: when your phil mickelson do you have shots like weekend golfers like me do. >> usually there's something i'm working on but when i'm playing well it's not a swing thought as well as a swing feeling. >> charlie: a rhythm. >>'ll try to acquire the feel before i hit it. >> charlie: how do you do that with a practice swing or what? >> no, like a mental visualization and try to get the

feel of the draw or fade shot. >> charlie: as a young golfer and amateur golfer and professional golfer and people talk two things about you, one is the incredible short game you have is that practice? is that something natural and gifted. >> it's practice and passion. i d a chipping green in my backyard and before i could go to the course and drive myself there i would go to the backyard and chip and putt and i would get tired of hitting the same monotonous chip over and over and go behind the avacad avacad and when i'm in competition i feel comfortable trying the risky shots because i've done it before. >> charlie: one thing they said to you is you don't have to take the risky shots. sometimes the odds are against you. >> true, but here's the thing, charlie, i play my best when i'm

challengeed the more challenging the shot the better i feel it and pull it off. i have to challenge myself. i can't just hit a seven-iron lay-up shot with a three-wood. part islaying the odds. if there's a st where i can't miss it and risk a shot to gain half a shot then i won't do it. i try to be somewh mathmatical about it and analytical but there is a point as i said to bones in the final round at the masteron 13 i was in the trs and had to hit it between a couple trees and i said to bones after three times he tried to see make sure iwanted to do this i finally said, bones, listen at some point in the golf tournament if we're going to win we have to execute and trust my swing and my ability and execute the shot and this is the ime. i was able to do it and ended up winning the tournament. >> you put the shot how close?

>> four feet and then missed the putt. that's what i mean, the easier the shot the more my mind wanders. >> charlie: i bet you won the tournament. >> but same at the british oep own. the hard the shot. >> charlie: will you work on that with someone else or something you will think through yourself? >> a bit of both. i'll have to work with somebody for direction and the mind's like a muscle a the more you use it the better it is and have to practice harder on three-foot parts and i have a drill where i do 300 in a row and i didn' spend timen the short puttses that time. >> charlie: i once read that you were not necessarily a great driver. not in terms of distance or certainly in terms of keeping it in the fair way, is that fair? >> that's a fair assessment. >> charlie: is that true today? >> i don't feel it is true today

-- i think in 2007. >> charlie: what you said of yourself not somebody else. >> i made an effort to address this and started working with butch arman and we have within focussin focussing on the drive ball and they've been much more refined to the point where i'm not playing from the trees as much. i may play from the rough but not as far offline. as we stand here four years later 2011 i feel like my drive's never been as good. >> charlie: you mean in accuracy and distance? >> correct. but over the last t years i haven't been as mentally sharp or positive as i want to be on the golf course and i wanted to change and it was evident at the british open where i had a whole different mentality of being on the way back to playing the way i'd like to play and the way i always have played and with a much more positive fun outlook. you saw me smiling and i was enjoying the challenge and that

brings out the best golf in me. when i try to zero in andlay focussed like tiger i don't play my best. i play tight and with pressure and don't play and swing freely. >> charlie: what was the genius of ben hogan? the consistency of the swing? >> he found out what was best for him. the secret for him and every individual has to find out what works for your golf swing. look at j furyk it's different than anybody else and maybe wouldn't recommend it but he knows his golf swing better than anybody and if he's got water down the right he knows how to make sure in his swing it doesn't go right and that's how to control your miss and take the golf course out. >> charlie: what do you most understand about your swing? >> for me it's different. different than say anybody else but there are keys in my swing i'll do to take one side out of the fair way or not. for instance, once i have trouble my head position. if i keep my head back from

impact i'm going pulling it a bit so if i have travel as a left handed golfer to the left give the club more time to close and if i have trouble down the right-hand side then i'll move forward giving the club less time to square up. >> charlie: what's the difference between good amateurs and good pros. >> short game. >> charlie: it is short game? >> yeah, 70% of our shots are played within 50 yards. it's a huge percentage. we talk about science andhis is exactly how science has helped my game using math and statistics where to practice. it's not necessarily how well you put but where you putt from. th numbers are your favor. geing the chip shot inside a three-fo circle or four feet is so iorta relative to hitting it five feet that mathmatics you'll save 20% of

your stroke. >> charlie: what's the difference in the execution of your game and let's say rory milroy. >> i don't know his game specifically but he's got a show game and the best is ballesteros. >> charlie: he was a hero of yours? >> he was and i watched him play as a kid. >> charlie: and a risk taker. >> very much and that charisma and the go-for-it style but his technique and feel and touch d creativeness the ability to see shots befo he tried to play -- >> charlie: you wanted to play like he played? >> i did. >> charlie: it was said you were watching the masters a home and you watch somebody walk up to palmer on the 18th and said some day i'm going win the master. >> it was when he was winning the masters on 18 on the last

fairway and giving it fist pumps and i turned to my mom and he had i want to win the tournament. >> charlie: what's in instructive for you is you're consntly examining andooking at your game whether it's a short gamer i understan they got you to show up and play the week before the masters the year you won it first time. >> yeah so in 2004 was the first year i won and i said i need help and guidance. >> charlie: what you said was interesting, if you can help me with a quarter of a shot over four rounds that's one stroke. i can win. >> right. and that's what i won by one stroke. >> charlie: what do you say? >> we're dealing with fractions that the point and he said my goal is to ve you play a major ampionship without surprises. what that means is if i hit a

good shot i don't want to hit in a shot where i don't have another shot or miss in the wrong spot. i want to know if i hit a good shot it's playable. everybody's going hit ba shots and if i miss in the wrong spot and take a bogey that's fine but we don't want for me to hit a good shot and not have a shot from there and we hit multiple shots from the areas i was going play and knew the pin on two middle left i have to be to the right and so i would hit the ball in his second shot 40, 50 yards away and practiced so in the tournament i knew how i'd react. >> charlie: many of us that are plans and play the game h to hope for a mickelson-tiger woods rivalry. will that ever happen? >> when he was playing his best he brought me to my best but never had head-to-head rivalry but in the final group he beat me good and in 2007 my

head-to-head record against him from betting beat like a drum i started pulling ahead and my record's been better but we haven't been able to do that in a major championship yet. >> charlie: what are your expectations for im? >> there's nobody in the game that's received or benefitted more from tiger than myself. >> charlie: because? >> for a number of reasons. for one he dve the purse up and drove up the tv ratings and increased the marketing expectations as his performance off the golf course and companies would pay him the value -- >> charlie: raised the endorsement value. >> that raises the value for all players on tv and nobody's been able to capitalize on that better than i have and i will always be appreciative for what he's done for me and my family and my game of golf. >> charlie: at best how good was his game? >> beyond description.

i've seen him hit shots that nobody else in the game could hit. >> charlie: li what? give me an example. >> we were playing in flint, michigan and i could maybe hit a drive and run up a three wood and if i landed a three wood on the green it would release in the back and he hit a two iron on that hole that rose and climbed so high in the air when it fell down it ce invertcally and the ball stoppedtown six inches of the divet and there's nobody else in the game that could have hit that. >> charlie: do you think if he had stayed healthy and played kind of golf he did before all the events that ha happened in life you could have beaten him head-to-head. >> in the lastew years i have been able to so i believed it even when i wasn't achieving it. i thought it was possible and he brought out my best game and got

me to work harder and practice harder. >> charlie: like mcenroe and borg and he to this day is so upset he retired believes the competition and borg's game made him as good as he was. agree wh that and i agree you need someone to push you and in high school i had a rival and in college another would go out and practice and push each other to get better and stlag common opponent is drive you helps you. >> charlie: do you think how many ma majors you could win. >> i believe i'm playing better golf than i have and the coming four and six years will give me the best oortunity to win majors and compete.

>> charlie: so you may win four? >> i don't want to put a number on to but give myself an opportunity to contend >> charlie: how's amy. >> she's great but still day to day challenges. >> charlie: no one who saw the masters will ever forget that moment. >> that's something we will cherish. it was a neat moment and she's been travelling. she came with me to the british and scottish open and that was so fun for me. it was a step back to normal is a. >> chaie: and darren clarke has be a friend? >> he was. onof the first person we talked to. >> charlie: he lost his wife to breast cancer. >> he gave us a lot of insight for this. >> charlie: great to see you congratulations on the academy and golf and congratulations to you and your

wife and amy. >> it was my pleasure, thanks, charlie. >> charlie: steven carell is here and best known for movies like the 40-year-old virgin, little miss sunshine and date night. >> a scandal surfaced today when -- [ speaking gibberish ] >> somebody get water. >> it looks like my newcoanchor needs water. >> i would like to extend an invitation to the pants party. excuse me? >> the parts party. the party with pants. >> areou saying there's party in your pants and that i'm invited? >> that's it.

>> hmm. did brn tell you to say this? >> yes, he did. >> okay. noi dot want to go to a party in your pants. >> very well. ian, would you like to go to a party in my pants? >> no, rick. >> all right. let's go. you mind if i use your magnum? >> um, yeah. wow. you got to be kidding. i am aquaman. >> if you sleep until your 18, just think of the suffering you're going miss. i mean, high school? high school, those are your prime ffering ars. you don't get better suffering than that. >> well, that was just a big fat waste of time.

the king of siam is going to be livid. >> thank you for all your help and i am being sarcastic. come on. mother... did she leave the room when she takes phone calls or shower before sex or after sex -- >> yeah, she does all that. >> michael, do not let your imagination run amuck? >> what? >> amuck. it means don't let it run out of control. >> why didn't you say that. >> just don't let it. >> easy for you to say. i live in a fantasy world and i can't stay in a relationship full of lie and deceit. >> charlie: he's been nominated for an emmy on nbc's the office after seven years he left at the end of this season. the latest movie we'll talk about this evening is "crazy, stupid love."

here's the trailer for that. >> 25 years of marriage and you have nothing to say. i'll say it i slept with someone. >> if you keep talking i'm getting out of the car. >> just the fact i did it means year broken >> okay. >> your getting a divorce? >> yea >> amy heard you crying in the bathroom. we all thought it was ncer. >> no, just my relationship. >> hi, can i buy you a drink. what are you doing later? i don't know. >> i do. >> there's lots of beautiful women in e bar but i can't take my eyes off of you. >> can you pull the car around? i'll drive. >> any tips of the trade. >> youe wife cheated on you because you lost sight of who you are as a man. >> take the straw out of your mouth. it looks like you're sucking on a -- okay. >> you'r sitting there way super cut haircut wearing a 42

when you should be a 40 regular. >> where's your wallet. >> geez, god. >> you would? >> you have to take control of your manhood, pal. >> put on clothes, please. >> sorry, is thi bothering you? beautiful. [♪] >> what do you want to do with me. >> show you off to my ex-wife and make he her really jealous. >> i met a girl and she's the game-changer. >> she's your soul mate. go get her back. >> wow, how old are you? >> i'm in love and i don't know what to do about it. >> i don't know when you and i stopped being us. when i told you i had to work late i saw the twilight movie by myself. it was so bad.

>> i should have fought for you. >> take off yourshirt. >> why? >> take off your shirt. seriously? it's like your photoshopped. >> charlie: i'm pleased to have steve carell back in the table, welcome. >> do you have any more clips of me? i just want to see more of myself. >> charlie: i wanted to see if you were hiding your eyes. >> i'm all on a loop. >> charlie: this is your life. welcome. >> thanks. >> charlie: tell me about the movie what we didn't learn from the trailer. >> that's basicall it. >> charlie: a guy who's wife runs out on him and jumps out a car and ryan gosgossling tells

everything he needs to know about a movie. >> you think it's about a wingman and a guy getting on the dating pool but it's about relationship and love and differ types of love. >> charlie: and somebody said it's about if you mind your soulmate, fight for her. >> i'm getting a lot of questions now about soulmates and do you believe in soulmates and is it true. is it a real think or fantasy. i do. >> charlie: so cal is a guy what, in search of getting his wife back >> yeah. initially he's a guy who h just put his head down and is complacent and hasn't tended to his marriage and his retionship and he's paying the price and it's interesting because you know, julie ann's character in the movie has had an affair and initially there was a concern by some peop,

not me, that it would make her a character at was not sympathetic enough but iotally disagreed and with a person like julie ann playing the part she is sympathetic and just human. just a flawed human being. >> charlie: you're one of the producers. >> one of them. and got to fire a lot of people and from the onset we were able to find the right director or directors in this case and tweak e script and do the casting and got all of our first choices. everybody we wanted in the movie agreed. >> charlie: and why he >> why julie ann? >> charlie: ye >> apart from being just one of the great -- >> charlie: the relatnship is cal and julie anne. >> that's certainly one of them and ryan i think my relationship with him is key as well and why

any of those people i think they have -- they're just great. they're just really, really fine actors. and i think any movie project would be lucky to have any of those people but julie ann has a warmth to her and i think that was necessary for a part like that. >> charlie: was it after 40-year-old virgin you became sort of a leang man. >> yeah, and something my wife and i laugh about all the time. >>harlie: like you're sleeping with a leading man. >> you know who i made out with today in marissa tomei and julie ann and how does that make you feel? it's surprising to say the least. >> charlie: and people are saying your playing the roles tom hanks used to play. >> really? other people are saying all

these things? you're not saying them, all these other people are saying them. >> charlie: we have our sources. they write reviews. >> when i worked on the daily show there was a lot of that. >> charlie: i'll get to that. >> we heard; urce tell us. >> charlie: you owe that to stev stephen colbert. >> charlie: and the questions wher were from where? >> trivial pursuit questions. >> crlie: name me a great swedish rock star. >> bjork. and the only one that played along was mccain. he went with it and saw what it

was and just went with it. where as a lot of the other candidates -- >> charlie: this was 2000. >> yeah. that was fun. we were very much under the radar. no one real kne of the daily show. right now if anyone from the show shows up they know what to expectbut then no one knew who we were and we put on suits and acted like correspon correspond. >> charlie: what's youradvice on colbert. >> just go with it. you won't outwit him. he's far too smart and he is far too funny. >> charlie: so play him that's character he's playing. >> just go along with him. don't tryo fight it. don't try to be funny. let him handle it because he'll

be funny enough for both of you. >> charlie: so you left the office. >> i did. >> charlie: we talked about that before. >> yeah. >> charlie: but in creating your character you never watched ricky? >> i watched fiveminutes in the original show to get a frame of reference because i heard about the show and i didn't understand the fact the conceit was that of ey a documentary and wanted to see the structure and i had to turn to have because he was so good and specific and was such a finely drawned character if i watched more i would have been inclined to do an impression of him. >> charlie: why did you leave? >> i had a seven year contract and i first and foremost i wanted to honor that and out of respect to the actors and everybodon the show. i just felt it was time and wanted to spend time with his

family and i have little kids and a wanted to make sure i could be theres much as i could be for their childhood. >> charlie: and you live in boston. >> part of the year. >> charlie: whenou look at today, how do you analyze. >> the luckiest s.o.b. >> charlie: that's what people say about you. >> i am. i'm lucky. ridiculously lucky. >> charlie: do you know why? they say it's because of your face and eyes. >> what? >> charlie: steve martin said you can inhabit any character and at the same time find something about that character that some redeemin value. >> wow. yes, that's exactly. i agree with steve martin. he's a huge idol of mine. that comes as high praise. i don't know.

i think it is so much -- it sounds like i'm just saying that but truly think a lot of it is luck and being at the right place at the right time i have many friends who are equally talented or more so that that working hard and haven't had the same fortune that i've had and i don't necessarily know where it goes that way and i'm not questioning it. i'm always trying to be appriati of it. >> charlie: and you can't worry about the fact of what might hap end to it. >> no, you can't because then you're just worrying about all des and you have to enjoy it to a certain extent and if you're so worried about it ending, you know, ultimately it will and you can't -- just like

we're all going to die. if i spent my life worrying about dying. >> charlie: you roll with it but at the same time you pay attention to it and work hard to get better and better at it. >> and it's always fun. that's an important aspect of it to me. it should be fun. this movie was fun and people watching the movie don't care if the actors had fun. they just want to see a good movie but it's important the experience is good. >> charlie: i suspect people can tell whether people are having fun. >> i think so. generally unless they're extremely good actors. >> you can fake fun? >> but yes, clear withhe group of people and with the office we had a ball every day. i think you can tell. i do think that registers. >> charlie: so when you do someing like little miss sunshine -- >> -- yeah. >> charlie-- is that equally

chlenges for you. >> what was interesting about little miss sunshine is a friend of mine that was a producer on something else told me not to do it. said you hardly have any lines in the movie. you should not -- you shouldn't do little miss sunshine you sit in the second seat and stare out the window half the movie and a thought that's great. i just want to be in it. i st want to be part of it. i just wan -- >> charlie: because? >> because i thought the script was great. something about the script i felt the same about this script, it's very onomical. it didn't tell you everything about every character. it told you enough to conclusions about characters or get a sense of characters but it didn't tell you who everybody was and i think that's important. >> charlie: you wte five episodes -- >> of the office? two. >> charlie: two. >> and directed three. >> charlie: is it hard for you having done those two things not to look at a script and say i

want to change it, i want to tweak it, i want to make it better? >> to a certain extent, yes, but you also have to respect the wring. that's something that is important to me. and with the writer with the director if there a huge problem that you're having that's just something to be brought up and discussed but -- >> charlie: as an actor. >> right, but i don't want to come in and hack a script because as a writer i would have written it differently because every writer has a different approach and you need to respect that. >> charlie: some will suggest that people do it best have a kind of -- have a sense of often people who have been writers and have a sense of the complete story so they then know how to

get their hands in the improvisation. >> that's true and the opposite true if you're a good improvisational actor you understand scene structure and there's different types of improvisation to there's people doing games and very jokey improsati and there's improvisation that happens on a movie set which i think is very different and when somebody comes into a movie and tries to just be funny or say silly things or things they think might get in the movie that's off-putting to me because i think that someone who i a improvises is different and that supportinghe script in place opposed to trying to make it your own. >> charlie: when you started out

you wanted to be simply an actor. not a comic or comedic actor. >> a simple actor. i just wanteto act. i -- >> charlie: rather than law school. >> yeah,hat was the choice. it came down tthat. no, i didn't have any sense of being a comedic actor. that's just what i was hired to do >> charlie: but you got hired quickly at second city. >> couple years in. i did a couple class and paid my dues and auditions. >> charlie:nd what about acting? >> i just enjoyed there was always something fun like playing hockey or singing in the choir or doing any number of things. . it was just a fun thing to do but never thought of it as a career choice.

>> charlie: or work. >> no, i felt like i owed my parents better. they invested so much in me. >> charlie: since you took private school. >> ifelt like i had to make more of yourself. >> charlie: your dad didn't object to you not going law school. >>hey're the ones that told me i should giv it shot and gave me the freedom tdo it and it was important to me and it's a lesson i want to pass on to my kids because they said you know what, this is your life, it's not about us or making us happy. you should do what makes you happy. >> charlie: what got you have chicago to new york? >> well, my wife was hired to appear on saturday night live and we moved to new york. and actually there coincided with a play i had done in chicago that was moving off broadway so she started at snl and i started on the play. it wked out well.

>> charlie: and the 40-year-old virgin, how did that get started. >> they asked me if i any ideas for movies and said if you do please contact me so i went in and met with him months later and pitched it and i actually pitched the pok sequence where the character of andy is trying desparately to keep up with these sort of body stories of sexual conquests and he clearly has no frame of rerence to talk about it -- >> charlie: no history. >> and makes an ass of himself and pitched essentially that to him anthe story of this guy and sa i cance can sell that tonight. and he did. he pulled the trigger and we wrote it over the summer and shot it next fall. from the time i pitched it was like a year. the movie came out. >> charlie: it grossed about

$200 million. >> i have no idea. i think it was sort of like harry potter. [laughter] >> charlie: billions. >> billions. i think it was a billion. but it did -- it was surprising too i remember going to the first preview and we didn't know. we thought it was funny but never put it in front of an audience and people really responded and really laughed. >> charlie: and how did it change your life? >> in all sorts of ways. >> charlie: you were a movie star. well, i didn't hav to audition any more so i look at ithat way which is interesting because just after they went in to talk to warner brothers abo get smart and i was still of the mind that i've got to go in and audition so i went over and i thought it was a casting call d i went with my head shot and resume but i didn't have abe of the script so i didn't know what my lines would be and i nt into the conference room and it

was all the executives from warner brothers around the table and i sat down. i did not understand what was going on and they just offered me the part and it blew my mind and they could see -- >> charlie: did you think i can show you how good i am. >> i was holding -- i had a little brief case with my head shot. >> that was enormous. >> charlie: you knew you had arrived. >> then i became a jerk and started taking advantage of people. the list of people that i've been able to work with is kind of shocking frankly when i look back at katherine keener and juli julie anne benoche like how did that ha that happen?

>> charlie: and keira knightley. d this is a scene about pick up women. >> just because you know how to pick up women doesn't mean i do. >> ever see karate kid? group and buy them a drink. >> without fail you buy her a drink even if she doesn't want one, you insist. do you talk about yourself? >> it's boring. she has to be the interesting one. it's a big game. game, creepy, creepy, little game. >> judgmental. at the end of the night do i ask hem to come home with me. >> no, you tell them. they have no choice and they are so overjoyed to have had the opportunity to make sweet sweet love to you. oh, my god, you did.

you miagi'd me. >> charlie: tell us about ryan gossling. >> he's obviously a great actor but i met with him for this part. i had a three-hour meeting and he became a friend of mine. >> charlie: the conversation was whether i would hire you for my movie. >> it's weird when you put it that way. but yeah he was somebody we were interested in playing the role and actually we worked togeth and i forgotten about this when i was a young teen we did a pilot together and didn't have scenes but we had worked together many many years before and he reminded me of that fact and he's just a good guy. he's vy very sweet and very kind with a huge heart and

funny. that's what's going to surprise people. here's this guy that you know of as a very intense leading man and he is a great advisor in that same sense he improvises on point and story within character and just funny and charming and as good looking as he is he's even better looking on the inside. really good guy. >> charlie: what's next? >> i'm doing -- i'm just about to finish a movie with keira knightley. it's sort of the opposite side of your armadeddon kind of movie. it's not the president on the phone with the astronauts did you blowup the asteroid, it's everybody else dealing with the realization the world's going to end in two weeks and they have to get their lives in order and believe it or not it's funny but it's a script they read and

could not stop thinking about it. >> charlie: if there's somebody yo knew that's a very good actor male or female, very good actor, can they do comedy inevitably or is comedy some other kind of gene you have to have? >> you kno i think the mistake some people make about doing a comedy is -- and this is something ryan brought up with the first meeting is he didn't want to try to be funny and i think that was a good instinct because when people try to be funny it doesn't necessarily wo that way ande proached it as an actor. i just want to play the character -- >> charlie: if the character's funny you'll be funny. >> yeah, you play it truthfully and honestly and the humor will sort of evolve from that but when you go in -- and i think by the same token if like an actor known for comedic work goes to do a drama, you know, you don't

have to walk around with a frown on face because you're in a drama. people don't know in life -- they don't know whether their life is a comedy drama. they're just part of it. i think you shouldn't know you're in a comedy when you're doing a comedy. a character shouldn't know they're in a comedy. >> charlie: what's the best advice you've received fo acting? >> listen. >> charlie: listen? >> yeah, listen. don't get ahead of yourself. it isn't a script. life isn't a script. >> charlie: thank you. >> thank you. >> charlie: great to see you. the movie's called "crazy, stupid love." it opens on theatres july 29.